Rib-Eye steaks au livarot

Wednesday is my first "blogiversary," so I've been reading a lot of old entries lately. I finally found my way back to the very first entry, Filet de boeuf au livarot. Since I made this when I was alone in Paris and the Boy had gone off to China, no one every tasted how good it was. So last Friday night, I made it again. I had to adjust a few things as is my way and I liked it even better this time than the last. My steaks, Rib-Eyes instead of Filets de boeuf, were fat and could really stand up to such a strong sauce. I also used a very big, very fat Onion, which cut through the rich Cheese Sauce. And, of course, a healthy dose of Piment d'Espelette. On the side, we had the season's first asparagus which were perfectly tender but still crunchy. And a light Onion-Orange Salad that Mom made. To drink we had a great bottle of Bordeaux. The meat and sauce really called for a full-bodied Wine. Surprisingly, none of this is difficult to make, so, even though it looks fancy, it's pretty simple. Whenever pan-grilling meat, it always needs to rest afterwards so the juices can redistribute. That resting time is just how much time you need to make the Livarot sauce. For those who don't know, Livarot is a washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Normandy. If it's not available, you can substitute any washed-rind or full-flavored "stinky" cheese such as Maroilles, Limburger or Harz.

Rib-Eye steaks au livarot

3 Rib-Eye Steaks
6 cloves Garlic
3 teaspoons Allspice
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Canola Oil
2 cloves Garlic, chopped (for sauce)
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Unsweetened Apple Juice
1/4 cup Water
20 cl Milk
1/4 wheel Livarot, cut into small pieces
Salt and Piment d'Espelette, to taste
3 sprigs Parsley

Mash 6 cloves Garlic with Allspice, Salt and Pepper. Rub mixture over Steaks and let sit for 5-20 minutes. Heat up a skillet over high heat. A cast-iron skillet works really well here. Grease with Canola Oil. Cook Steaks one at a time, 2 minutes per side for rare; 4 minutes for medium-rare. Place Steaks on a plate in the oven to keep warm. Make sure oven is off or else Steaks will continue cooking.

Turn heat down to low and cook Garlic and Onion until Onion is beginning to brown. Turn heat back up to high and de-glaze pan with Apple Juice and Water, scraping up any little burnt peices of Meat, Garlic or Onion. Turn heat back down to low and add Milk and Cheese. Spread cheese around pan until fully liquefied and evenly distributed. aAdd Salt and Piment d'Espelette, to taste.

To serve: Spoon Sauce over Steaks and add 1 sprig of Parsley to each Steak.

Serves 3, though the Sauce could be stretched to serve more.

Update: I made a new variation!


Food and Cooking and Recipe and Beef and Dairy and Meat

Frittata d'epinards, oeufs et trois fromages

Alanna, over at A Veggie Venture, has declared that Broccoli Raab is the new spinach. Although I was inclined to agree with her, I decided the time had come to test her theory. Spinach has long been my favorite vegetable and I wasn't quite prepared to make it give up its status. So, rather than making plain steamed spinach with garlic and olive oil as I normally do, I decided to make a more filling side dish one night to go with the simple gray sole Mom was preparing. I'm calling this a frittata, though it's somewhere between that and a crustless quiche. Either way, it was eggy, spinachy and very cheesy--definitely a good source for calcium! I used two whole bunches of spinach for four people and, probably because we're all big eaters, there were only two pieces left the next day, which Mom and I heated and devoured for lunch. Although this does have a long cooking time, it's a very easy preparation, which means you can do lots of other things while it's in the oven, such as prepare the rest of dinner or watch an episode of Top Chef (Bravo's new reality show about people becoming top chefs and, hence, my new addiction). The recipe calls for shredded cheese and I was very lazy and bought my cheese pre-shredded, with delicious results, so don't be afraid of taking that shortcut.

Frittata d'epinards, oeufs et trois fromages

6 tablespoons Butter
1 Yellow Onion, chopped
12 oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded
12 oz. Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
8 oz. Cottage Cheese
6 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
6 Eggs, beaten
2 bunches Spinach, cleaned, torn into small pieces

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Melt Butter. Saute Onion in it until soft. In a very large bowl, combine Cheeses. Add Flour, mix well. Add Onion and Butter and mix all together. Pour in Eggs and make sure they are thoroughly combined with the rest. Add spinach and mix once more. Pour into a greased baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Mix everything up again in the pan to ensure it cooks evenly. Bake for another 30 minutes.


Food and Cooking and Recipe and Brunch and Vegetarian and Dairy

Dill Sauce

I made this a while ago for a light, easy dinner and just found the picture on my computer, so I decided to post it. Mom had made a big pot of chicken soup and didn't know what to do with the hunks of chicken she'd poached while making the soup, so I made this simple, creamy sauce. With the chicken already cooked and tender, it took maybe ten minutes to assemble everything. Because I wasn't cooking the sauce, I took the opportunity to use my Fleur de Sel aux Epices I bought in Guerande so many months ago. This was fantastic, but I'm sure the sauce would work just as well with any good Salt or Spice Blend you prefer. I highly recommend it, not just for chicken, but for raw vegetables or plain-cooked fish. Enjoy!

Dill Sauce

3 Shallots, minced
3 sprigs Dill, chopped
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 1/4 cups Sour Cream
Fleur de Sel aux Epices and Black Pepper, to taste.

Mix all ingredients together. Chill until serving.


Food and Cooking and Recipe and Sauce and Vegetarian and Dairy

Turkey Soup with Broccoli Raab and Dumplings

After what was perhaps the most intense two-month period of work, I am finally on vacation in New York and had some free-time tonight to do some cooking. Unfortunately, my camera is MIA after I left it at my cousins' months ago and Mom and Dad's is out of batteries, so there are no photos documenting my return to cooking. No matter. The soup was delicious, but not a looker.

Being lazy and still not having much time, I made this soup with Broth from boxes (they are organic...) so I'm sure it would be even better with homemade Stock. The Dumplings were a pleasant change of texture in the soup, but could easily be left out. Also, because I used so much meat and vegetables, the soup ended up being more like a hearty stew.

I was pleased to notice that Alanna, over at A Veggie Venture, is hunting for Broccoli Raab recipes. Broccoli Raab is such a wonderful, spicy green--more people should start using it and loving it.

Turkey Soup with Broccoli Raab and Dumplings

Soup:
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock
1 skinless, boneless Turkey Breast, as defatted as possible
Hot Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Spice Blend (I used Weber Gourmet Barbecue Rub)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
1 small Carrot, chopped
10 stalks Broccoli Raab, including leaves and florets, chopped
2 Mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks Celery, diced

Dumplings:
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
4-5 tablespoons Water
1 large Egg

Garnish:
1 small Shallot, chopped
2 sprigs Parsley, chopped
2 sprigs Chives, chopped

In a large saucepan, bring Chicken Broth and Vegetable Stock to a boil. Dice Turkey Breast and add to Stocks. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until Turkey is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Add Pepper Flakes, Spice Blend, Garlic, Salt and Pepper. Cook 5-10 more minutes to combine flavors. Add vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, prpare the Dumpling Dough. Mix together Flour, Water and Egg in a small bowl. Mix well until you have a soft dough. Pour Dough into a colander placed on top of saucepan. Push dough through holes in colander, scraping bottom with a knife or spoon if the dough is sticking too much. Don't worry about the shapes; they will vary in size, which makes them all the more fun. Add Shallot. Cook 5-10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle Parlsey and Chives on top. Serve.

Food and Cooking and Recipe and Soup and Broccoli Rabe and Meat

Tarte aux pommes

One of my favorite parts of stage managing is baking for my cast. This may not sound like a typical managerial duty, but, in fact, it's a wonderful one. I often try to make something that relates to the play in some way or other, though other times I just settle for brownies--my old stand-by.

Not too long ago, I was stage managing for a cast that was suffering from low morale. We agreed to have a line-through, without the director present, late on a Sunday night when everyone was done with their other commitments. For the occasion, I baked a Covered Apple Pie, deciding that real fruit was better for my cast than massive amounts of chocolate. Because it was a busy week, I didn't have time to make my own dough (another thing I should start doing in the New Year) so instead I used a frozen Trader Joe's crust which was truly tasty--the best prepared crust I've had yet. It was buttery and had a real flavor, not at all like the parchmnet paper in which it came wrapped. The only problem is that it does break easily, so it needs to be handled with care and a little extra butter.

Tarte aux pommes

2 9-inch Pie Crusts
6 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 tablespoons Butter
Milk

Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Place 1 Pie Crust in a 9-inch pie pan. In a large bowl, toss together Apples, Sugar, Flour, Vanilla and Cinnamon until well-combined. Transfer to pie pan. Stud with Butter.

Cover filling with second Pie Crust. Pinch pastry edges together to seal, using the edge of a fork. Btush visible crust with Milk, more if it seems brittle. Cut several holes on-top to allow steam to escape while baking. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F and bake another 30 minutes. Serve warm or cool.


Food and Baking and Recipe and Dessert and Vegetarian and Dairy

Paper Chef #14: Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Stir-Fry with Cashews, over Quinoa

I've never yet participated in a Paper Chef competition, but I've always enjoyed reading the ingredients and trying to come up with my own creation. So this weekend, in spite of hosting a dinner party Saturday night, I was thrilled to be able to try my hand at the ever-bizarre Paper Chef.

This month certainly promised to be an exciting one, with the wacky Belly-Timber as the hosts. The four ingredients were: Cashews, Quinoa, Yogurt and something "baby." First off, I had to do some research. I'd never used Quinoa before, so I checked what it was and, seeing it was a grain, I decided to treat it much like I would rice. In spite of the dirth of fresh vegetables, I've been seeing beautiful Baby Bok Choy lately, so I picked that as my "baby." And finally, after some searching, I decided to make a fusion stir-fry, using Quinoa as the bed upon which to spoon up the stir-fry. While not crazy, it was simple and surpisingly healthy, as per Owen's instructions.

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Stir-Fry with Cashews, over Quinoa

Marinade:

2 large tablespoons Greek-style Yogurt
1 tablespoon Extra-Dry Vermouth
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon Potato Starch
2 pounds skinless, boneless Chicken Thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes

Aromatics:

1 tablespoon Ginger, minced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Leeks, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon Ancho Chile Powder
Salt to taste

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
2 teaspoons Extra-Dry Vermouth
2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Orange Juice
1 tablespoon Sherry Vinegar
1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt, to taste

1 cup Quinoa
2 cloves Garlic, minced
Salt, to taste

Stir-Fry:

1 bunch Broccoli Rabe, chopped
2 tablespoons Roasted Peanut Oil
1 Yellow Onion, diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 Baby Bak Choys, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Ancho Chile Powder
Salt, to taste
1-2 cups Roasted, Unsalted Cashews

In a bowl, combine ingredients for Marinade. Mix well. Add Chicken and toss. Cover and place in refrigerator to marinate.

Mix Aromatics together in a dish. Set aside.

Combine Sauce ingredients in a bowl. Stir well and put aside.

Take Chicken out of refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Meanwhile, cook Quinoa: Place in sieve and Rinse with water, getting rid of the outer shell. Over medium heat, toast Quinoa with two minced cloves of Garlic and Salt to taste in a saucepan. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a oil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed. Keep Quinoa warm while you cook the Chicken.

In a saucepan, heat 4 cups of Water until barely simmering. Place Chicken in pan and cook for several minutes until almost fully cooked. Drain Chicken and set aside.

Heat wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Add Oil, swirling it around. As it heats up, lower heat to medium and add Aromatics. Stir until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add onion and Bell Pepper and toss briefly for about 1 minute. Add Bok Choy and cook until partially reduced, about 1 minute. Toss in Broccoli Raab, Ancho Chile Powder and Salt, stirring until Broccoli Raab is reduced, about 1 minute.

Add Sauce to the wok. Raise heat. When Sauce is simmering, cover wok. Cook about 2 minutes. Add Chicken and cook, covered, for 2 more minutes or until Chicken is cooked all the way through.

Serve on a bed of Quinoa, a handful of Cashews on top.


Food and Recipe and Paper Chef and Chicken and Dairy and Meat

New Year's Eve

Instead of having a crazy night out at a party, we decided to celebrate New Year's in style at a restaurant. Miss Jess, one of my ladies from California, is here visiting her boy, Ian, so they joined the Boy and me for dinner at a Moroccan Restaurant, Zerza.

Zerza is a dark, two-story restaurant in the East Village. When we entered, we were told by a busy waitress to wait for the owner before we were seated. We stood in the entryway for several minutes until the owner arrived, then were led upstairs to a table for four next to the main window. We sat down and ordered a bottle of Champagne while we perused the menu.

As it was New Year's Eve, the menu was a special, limited one, a 3-course prix fixe for $39. Nevertheless, we all had a hard time deciding what we wanted!

The waitress brought up the bottle of "the best Champagne we have" and served it. Unfortunately, I was unable to check what kind of Champagne it was, but it was absolutely delicious.

Our appetizers came soon after we ordered. The Boy and Miss Jess both ordered the Grilled Merguez, lamb sausage with tomato sauce. I didn't taste them, but apparently they were rather typical merguez, though surprisingly moist. The tomato sauce mitigated the usual saltiness.

Ian gobbled down his Moroccan Cigars, Spiced ground beef cigars with goat cheese, without offering anyone so much as a taste, so I assume he enjoyed them.

My Spicy Prawns, Sauteed spicy prawns with chermoula sauce, were extremely tasty, though not exactly spicy. The prawns were plump and sweet and the chermoula taste tasted very strongly of the fresh tomatoes with which it was prepared, with just a hint of garlic and cumin.

Before our entrees arrived, we finished our Champagne and ordered a bottle of Guerrouane Rouge, Morrocan red wine. The wine was good, pretty light, and smooth, with just a touch of spice. It was a more fruity wine than dry.

For our main dishes, three of us ordered the same thing--the Tagine Lamb Barkouk, Slow-cooked stew of lamb shank with apricots, prunes and almonds. It was delicious, the lamb falling off the bone and the prunes melted into the sauce. The apricots added a nice tangy break to what would be an overpoweringly sweet sauce, and the almonds were a perfect textural change. It also came with a small side of couscous--wonderful in the sauce. However, we would have liked a little more couscous, missing the massive quantities to which we had grown accustomed in Paris.

Miss Jess was the iconoclast and chose instead the Chicken Bastilla, Moroccan phyllo dough pie stuffed with shredded chicken, onions and eggs. Again, I didn't have a taste, but the presentation was impressive, the phyllo dough really puffed up. And Miss Jess cleaned her plate and said she fully enjoyed herself.

Desserts were also included in the prix-fixe, so the Boy and Miss Jess ordered Homemade Fig Ice Cream which was very good, not extremely sweet but creamy and tasting strongly of fresh figs.

Ian went for a Flourless Chocolate Cake, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was extremely dense, but similar nonetheless to a souffle. In fact, it was so rich he couldn't finish it!

I gave into a weakness and ordered Baklava. This may have been the best Baklava I've ever had, served warm, the honey oozing out of it. Nevertheless, it managed not to be over-poweringly sweet, the phyllo ver buttery and, again, tasting homemade.

After dinner, we shared a Jasmine hookah which was wonderful, "like Jasmine tea without the tea," as Miss Jess aptly described it. At midnight, we were presented with free glasses of Champagne, not as good as the bottle we shared earlier, and various noisemakers and hats. Then a belly-dancer entered and entertained all of us for a long while, even convincing several diners to dance with us. While watching, the Boy ordered a cocktail, a Casablanca (he was attracted by its name) . Too sweet for me, it tasted like Grenadine, Campari, Sprite and Rum. Bright red in color, it was served ice-cold in a martini glass. Ian and I had more traditional after-dinner drinks, glasses of Port, although we were told it was brandy. Luckily, I prefer port.

This was a truly enjoyable evening--good fun, good wine and good friends. We'll definitely return, hopefully when they have belly-dancing again.

Zerza
304 E. 6th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 529-8250


Food and Drink and Restaurant and New York and Moroccan and New+Year's+Eve